CHOPPED SALADS
Chopped salads are a lot like the A-Team:. . . a ragtag group of individuals with totally conflicting
personalities that somehow manage to come together in a
beautiful way to make the world a better place.
And there’re no buts about it—a chopped salad takes
more time to put together than a simple green salad. First
you’ve got an ingredients list that’s a good three to five
times longer, and then you’ve got to chop, drain, and dress
all the vegetables. But what it lacks in brevity, it makes up
for in heartiness. Nothing beats a chopped salad for lunch
on a picnic (bring all the prepared ingredients with you, with
the dressing in a separate container, and toss just before
serving), or as a simple but tasty meal on a warm summer
night.
Good chopped salads are all about balancing flavors and
textures. Obviously you want plenty of crunchy elements—
crisp lettuces and vegetables—along with intensely flavored
bites like cheese, nuts, and cured meats. I’ve included some
complete recipes for a few of the most classic chopped
salads, but I sincerely hope it won’t end there! With their
minimal fuss and inexpensive ingredients, chopped salads
are one of the best forums for beginning cooks to
experiment in terms of combining flavors and textures to
discover a style that suits them best. I hope you take the
chance. The following chart will show you the best way to
treat chopped salad ingredients so you can put together your
own combinations. When constructing a chopped salad, I